Dell Latitude E7250 12.5" Review

So you're looking at the Dell Latitude E7250. It's a 12.5-inch business laptop that's been around for a while, and you can find it for around $119 these days. That price gets you an Intel Core i5-5300U processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB NVMe SSD. It runs Windows 10 Pro and has a touchscreen with a backlit keyboard. People searching for a cheap, ultra-portable laptop for basic tasks will find this on their radar. Is it good for students? The scores say maybe, but it's definitely compact. Just know you're getting older tech in a small package.

Let's talk about what this thing can actually do. The Intel Core i5-5300U is a dual-core processor from 2015. Its performance lands in the 16th percentile, which means it's fine for web browsing, documents, and video calls, but it will feel slow if you try to do too much at once. The integrated graphics are, well, integrated. It scores a 7.5 for gaming, so don't expect to play anything modern. The 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD are both in the 10th percentile, so multitasking is limited and you'll fill up that storage fast. It's a basic machine for basic jobs.

For $119, your expectations need to be in check. You're buying a used or refurbished business laptop that's nearly a decade old. The value is purely in its ultra-low price and ultra-portable form factor. If your budget is rock-solid at $120 and you only need a web machine, it's an option. But for even $50-$100 more, you could find newer Chromebooks or used laptops with much better screens and performance.

This is where it gets interesting. The Dell E7250 isn't competing with new laptops; it's competing with other cheap, old machines. Compared to a modern budget Chromebook, the Dell has Windows and more ports, but the Chromebook will have a better screen, longer battery life, and feel snappier for web tasks. If you look at the listed competitors like the Apple MacBook Pro or ASUS Zenbook Duo, there's no comparison—those are modern, powerful machines costing over ten times as much. The real question is whether this Dell is better than a similarly priced used laptop from Lenovo or HP, and the answer usually comes down to specific condition and specs.

Should you buy the Dell Latitude E7250? Only in a very specific scenario. If you need the absolute cheapest possible Windows laptop that's easy to carry, and you're only going to use it for light web browsing and documents, you could make it work. But for almost anyone else, the terrible screen, limited RAM and storage, and aging processor are too big of compromises. I'd recommend stretching your budget a little for something with a better display. This laptop shows its age in all the wrong ways.